Backup, Sir?
by Eye of a Hawk
Summary: First the wayward Elrics went missing, then her Colonel disappeared. Its up to 1st Lieutenant Hawkeye to unmask their attackers.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes: This is my first, so I'd love reviews on how it turned out. Didn't intend to make it overly romantic. **

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own FMA or the characters. Darn. **

"Backup Sir?"

Heels rapping, paws padding, Lieutenant Hawkeye and Black Hayate followed a simmering Mustang through the hallways of Central Headquarters, their customary one step behind the colonel. Juggling the daily pile of papers, Hawkeye reached into her pocket to pass the now bewildered Mustang the key to their office. "Sorry Sir, I was late this morning, so things aren't exactly in order." "Not in order?" Mustang laughed as the door opened," Any cleaner, and the office would be empty Hawkeye." Rolling her eyes, Hawkeye handed the pile of papers to her superior, and turned to make his coffee- always 3 sugars with no milk- turning back in time to watch him dump her meticulously eat stack of paperwork onto the remainder of what _should_ have been finished yesterday. Reaching over his desk, she tried to corral the papers back into _some_ sort of organization, simultaneously passing the Colonel his coffee. "Damn" Mustang jumped up from his desk, jolting Hawkeye and knocking the cup from her hand.

"Sir?" replied the Lieutenant calmly, deftly catching both the cup and the papers Mustang's abrupt rise had threatened to topple. It never failed. The Colonel always managed to create the biggest mess on the days she really needed him to impress people. She didn't know why she dealt with it. The Colonel was the most disorganized, frustrating, womanizing, procrastinator she'd ever met, but then at least she knew it was an act. The less competent the higher-ups thought Mustang was, the easier it was for him to plan. Slow and steady was the way to go, but first she needed to get the Colonel to finish his paperwork, which he wouldn't do until he calmed down. "Sir?" she repeated. Mustang was looking pretty frazzled, which didn't bode well for leaving work on time. She sighed.

"Fullmetal's report is due today." groused Mustang. Hawkeye darted a look at the schedule. He was right. Which meant that he would spend a good amount of time baiting the boy. It was an unfortunately effective way to work out his frustrations. Meaning that he would waste _her_ time trying to cheer himself up. Great.

"He's not due till 3 sir. Which means there is plenty of time to make a dent in the paperwork." she clarified, then took another look at his desk. Thanks to Mustang's procrastination efforts, it would probably take him _years_ to put a dent in the mountain of forms. Resigning herself to a long day and a hand cramp, Hawkeye grabbed the largest of the piles and whisked it over to her desk. She sat down behind her absolutely spotless desk and began signing forms, keeping a watch on the Colonel out of the corner of her eye as he reluctantly picked up the top paper. The brief silence was interrupted by the slow turning of the door handle. Mustang looked up eagerly. Hawkeye did not. She already knew who it was. Falman, Breda, Fuery and Havoc were sneaking in, unsuccessfully trying to avoid reprind. It didn't work.

"Sir? Are you finished with that one yet?" she inquired. Mustang glanced guiltily over at her, then quickly signed the paper with a muttered "Uhhh… yeah. It is." Without looking up, Hawkeye raised an eyebrow, and heard the stifled sniggers of the team. Ignoring them she pulled open the second draw of her desk, withdrew it contents, and placed the gun next to the pile of paperwork. There was silence, then Havoc cautiously asked "So… what do we have today?" Lips twitching Hawkeye reached over, rifled through a smaller stack, pulled out a packet, and handed it over her desk to Havoc, who was slouching in front of her desk, his customary cigarette dropping ash on her desk. She absently wiped it off her desk as she listened to the grumbles of the team settling in for another boring day of paperwork. She smiled. It was good to be here.

* * *

Hawkeye put down her pen and began rubbing her hand. She _hated_ cramps. They made it that much harder for her to hold her gun. But the team had made good progress so far today, and that was a rare enough occurrence to put her in a good mood. The room was always more relaxed when the lieutenant was happy. Glancing up at the clock, she decided for once that they could avoid working through lunch. Mustang caught her look at the clock and knew she was feeling lenient today. His lieutenant was a strict taskmaster, but there was little point in complaining. Though she did keep the team so organized that it boarded on obsession. He was the leader, but she was the director. And the protector. That small smile that had been playing at the corners of his mouth faded. Thinking of Hawkeye brought back too many scaring memories. He chuckled humorously at his pun. Ishbal had been harsh on everyone there, but it was done and gone. He told himself that there was no point in punishing himself over it, but for the survivors of the massacre, that was easier said than done. He still dwelled upon it in his dreams, and almost five years had already elapsed. Anyway, his lieutenant might actually be releasing them to lunch on time, and _that _was certainly worth celebrating. Sure enough, moments later, Hawkeye stood up, asking whose turn it was to run down to the deli, and who would be sticking with the mess hall. It was Fuery who volunteered. "I can go grab the orders. Hayate looks like he wants a walk anyways." With a nod of thanks, Hawkeye walked over the file cabinet and began packing away the papers. "Do people want anything different?" inquired Fuery. "Or just the usual?" "Nah, I'm fine." Said Mustang stretching. "Ditto" said Havoc, and Beda agreed. Hawkeye just shook her head. Fuery walked over to the door and an impatient Hayate darted out. Fuery chased after him, the laughter of the team tagging behind him. He knew the team agreed with Hayate though- it was nice to get out of the office after several hours of constant work. It was particularly hard when the weather was as nice as it was in Central during the fall.

Lunch was the only part of the day that wasn't boring as hell. Even the least observational person in the building could see that lunch was the only time the team could be together, but relax. Unfortunately, recent events had smashed pasts of the plan to bits. Having a homunculi as Fuhur made it harder to assassinate the head of state. So full lunch breaks had become a rarity. Today must have been the first time in months she hadn't held the rest of the team back. And it showed in their faces. It wasn't as if she _wanted_ to force them to work, it was just that they had too. The only reason they were putting up with the work pace that she set was because they knew as well as she did what had changed, and that she only ever demanded what the situation required. But still, she missed seeing their laughter and pranks, their ridiculous antics. And ridiculous was the word for it- Havoc had let Black Hayate loose and he had "treed" Breda on top a cabinet. Which she was slightly worried would collapse and shed paper everywhere. Which made her think of filing. Which made her think of the time. Sighing, she rose and threw out the remainder of her lunch. The faces in the room fell. Momma Hawkeye was done with lunch, meaning they'd better start picking/cleaning up quick-like. It was back to work with them. Hawkeye stifled a smile their expressions of disappointment so comical she wanted to laugh.

* * *

Mustang looked worriedly over at Hawkeye. Something was bothering her. He followed her gaze and started when he saw the clock. It was already five. He knew he was missing something but…. The Elrics! He had somehow managed to forget that their report was due. Expecting the Elrics to be on time was like expecting Breda to not be hungry- or expecting to win a chess game against General Grumman. It was preposterous. But two hours late was a little rude. Not that Fullmetal cared. In fact, Fullmetal probably planned for it, just to annoy him. Mustang would give the kid until the end of the day to bring the report in, but any later and he was going to hammer the kid. Fullmetal needed to learn some punctuality. Not that he was any better, Mustang grinned, looking up at Hawkeye again, and his grin faded away at her continued worried expression. Whatever bothered her, bothered him. If she was worried about something then it was bound to come back and inconvenience him and some point.

The sudden bang of an opened door made Mustang jump in his seat and sent Hawkeye flying to her feet, hands reaching for her gun. Instead of the suit of armor and the midget he expected to walk through the door, in burst another person. A dark haired, green eyed, uniformed man with a handful of photos.

"Surprise!" he cried. "Look at the photos my wife just got developed. The two most amazing girls in the world, all for me!" he said, excitedly hugging the photos. "Aren't they just adorable?"

"Hughes…" growled Mustang as he tapped his pen on the desk he was leaning over. "We've seen those already, you ambushed us on the way over here this morning."

"But nobody can get enough of such happiness. Its just so overwhelming." blithely replied an oblivious Hughes.

"Yes. It is overwhelming. So go overwhelm someone _else_!" exploded Mustang. "Sheesh", said an undaunted Hughes. "Maybe if you had a date tonight you wouldn't be so touchy" he added with as a parting shot out the door, before he ducked out. It was a good thing the Colonel wasn't wearing his gloves because he was snapping his fingers like crazy at both Hughes and the team, who had grins wreathing their faces. Everyone, except Hawkeye, who had her customary black expression, was inwardly chuckling at the lieutenant colonel's attempts to set Mustang up again. The Flame Alchemist sighed, and there were several more sniggers. Hughes' ambushes were funny when they happened to someone else, but Hughes was an equal opportunity annoyance, and everyone got their fill, and then some, of Hughes' wife and child. Hopefully, Mustang thought, his pictures would be restricted to the investigations building for the rest of the day. He hated to admit it, but he was really starting to worry about the Elric brothers and didn't want other distractions that would only work to annoy him further. Fullmetal wouldn't voluntarily give up the chance to twit his favorite "Colonel Bastard". And it was almost seven. If Fullmetal was any later, he would start cutting in on the teams' free time. The kid may love inconveniencing everyone, but Mustang wasn't going to give up any of his already highly limited free time. Unfortunately, with Hawkeye managing his schedule, it was highly unlikely that he could get out of the appointment. With a growl, Mustang stood. "Well, if Fullmetal's not going to show up, then there's no reason to staying late. I'm heading out." He glanced over at Hawkeye, who rolled her eyes, but didn't stop him. She signed a final paper, placed down her pen, grabbed her stack of papers, and began collecting what work the others had managed to finished, noting their stacks were all significantly lighter than hers. Black Hayate perked up his head as she reached to file cabinet, deposited her load, and approached the coat rack. She reached for her coat, and tripped over an excited Black Hayate who yipped as she stepped in his tail. Teetering, she tried to find a safe place to put down her foot, when she was yanked back up by a painfully tight grip.

"Wow" remarked a startled Havoc. "I think that the first uncoordinated thing I have every seen you do." Hawkeye glared, detangled herself from Mustang's grip, and knelt down by Hayate.

"I'm sorry Hayate. I didn't mean to. You gonna be okay?" she asked, worriedly stroking her puppy.

"Of course he's going to be fine Hawkeye" calmed Mustang as he pulled her up and passed her the coast she'd been reaching for. "Thank you sir" she replied absently, still looking down, upset, at her companion. She couldn't believe she'd been so careless. But something about the absence of the Elrics today was really bothering her. Ed was more responsible than many people gave him credit for- most people only saw his hotheadedness. And she knew she had good instincts. They'd saved the Colonel and her countless times. If something was bothering her know, it was guaranteed to cause the Colonel trouble later. Trouble with Ed and the colonel always resulted in explosive arguments and she'd have to mediate, whether by words or by gun. So preoccupied with her thoughts, Hawkeye missed, for once, the looks exchanged around the room. Then the door shut behind her, and her rapping footstep were heard fading into the distance as she traveled down the hallway.

"Well that was interesting." noted Havoc, "but if she's letting us out early today, who are we to complain?" conveniently forgetting it'd been the colonel who had given up working for the , Breda, and Fuery nodded, then dashed out the door, following the wake of the already distant Havoc. Mustang was left in the empty room. Then, slowly, he smirked, remember the feel of having his lieutenant in his arms. Looking around anxiously to ensure that no one had seen his slip, he donned his coat, and left the headquarters, shaking his head.

* * *

When Hawkeye walked back into the office the next day, she was immediently thrust back into anxiety when no report from Fullmetal was found. The Colonel would not be happy. And he wasn't. The team spent the day making up excuses to disappear from the room and avoid the stormy atmosphere the ranting Colonel had created. Mustang seemed to have a particular interest in whatever the Elrics were chasing after this time, leading Hawkeye to believe that it was something alchemy related. Or perhaps related to Homunculi. But whatever it was, it was deemed important enough to make the Colonel so impatient.

* * *

When the Elrics failed to show up on the third day, Mustang became desperate. He didn't want the military to become involved, but the reports were due, and the higher up would start question why the Fullmetal Alchemist hadn't reported in yet. He sighed. It the brothers didn't show up by the end of the week, he was going to have to report this to the investigations department.

Friday morning saw the Flame Alchemist and his lieutenant walking down the hallway of the investigations building in search of Hughes.

"Hey Hughes" Mustang greeted his old friend "I've got some news."

"You're coming to tell me that your finally engaged!" exclaimed Hughes " and soon your going to have a child, and Elysia will have a friend and…"

"HUGHES" shouted Mustang. "Enough with the personal life." Lowering his voice he continued with his request. "I need to talk to you about the Elrics. Do you know what they were researching? Or where they were headed?"

Hughes looked seriously at Mustang and Hawkeye, then ushered them into his empty office. "Well, some of the stuff they were looking at is restricted to alchemist access only. But I do know for a fact that they were heading to the boarder towns of the desert. Something about Xing. Other than that… I'm going to have to do some digging to find out anymore. What is it that you're looking for?" Mustang and Hawkeye exchanged a glance, then turned back to Hughes sitting behind his desk. Mustang answered in a low voice. "Fullmetal was conducting some research for me and he was due back a few days ago. He was supposed to report even if he hadn't made any progress. I'm worried he may have run into something… unfortunate due to the … nature… of the information. And that information is vital.

"So we have a missing alchemist. Hmm...this is serious. However, because its Fullmetal, I assume you don't want me to broadcast this to the higher-ups while I'm investigating. Alright. I'll give you whatever I find Saturday evening."

"Saturday evening? What's happening Saturday evening?" a confused Mustang asked, glancing over at Hawkeye, who blandly returned the look.

"Its my daughter's birthday!" exclaimed Hughes, jumping up from his seat. "And you are coming over for dinner! Elysia's turning three" he said, reaching into his desk. "And look at how much she's grown!" Hawkeye's lips twitched as the Colonel made hasty excuses and an unseemly retreat.

"Whew" muttered Mustang "I never thought that I'd actually _prefer _paperwork, but Hughes is relentless. He was probably about to ask me what date I'd be bringing."

"And _are_ you going to be bringing a date to a three year old's party?" Hawkeye grumbled. She'd take a bullet before she'd admit it, but she _hated_ the women he dated. Their shallow interest in Mustang as "The Hero of Ishbal" constantly irked her. Having been at his side through much of the war, she knew he considered himself a murder, and she worried about the effects of women citing his actions as "heroic" and mentioning how they'd "love to have seen it". Bringing up Ishbal brought nightmares to any of the survivors of that war. Plus, those women were a waste of time for someone as intelligent as Mustang. She knew that "pretty" didn't necessarily mean "fluff-head" (she had met Roy's Madam Christmas and her girls enough times to know) but somehow the Colonel always managed to land a date with the ones that couldn't talk about anything beyond the simplest of concepts. She looked back up to see Mustang smirking at her. "Nah" he said "Saturday night Uncle Roy will be _all_ Elysia's. Of course Aunt Hawkeye will be lavishing the birthday girl with attention too." He added blithely, as they continued down the hallway. It was just like him, assuming she'd be there for him at every occasion. And she _had_ promised that. She just hadn't realized how much of her "free" time she'd be sacrificing for the whims of the Colonel when she had agreed to watch his back. And though she hadn't really been planning to go, it wasn't as if she had any other pressing plans that night. Plus she and Garcia might get a few minutes to talk while Elysia's mom was working in the kitchen. And there might even be some of Gracia's amazing apple pie there. She may have the chance to pick up the recipe, not that she'd every have the time to make it if the Colonel insisted on continuing to screw up her schedule. So she just said "Yes sir", never noticing the smile that briefly light her Colonel's face.

Hawkeye walked out of the office that evening with Hayate at her side, and a list in her hand. The Colonel had coerced her into getting his gift for Elysia when she went shopping. Hopefully she could find something that a little girl would enjoy in one of the nearby shops. She was stumped as to what to give Elysia, who was the star of her father's existence and as such there was little she was wanting for. Perhaps she could make something. Hawkeye's only skill was cooking though; it wasn't like she was an alchemist. And the alchemist had already passed to responsibility off on her to procure a gift. She should call Gracia, see if they had baked the cake yet. If not, Hawkeye thought, she might arrive early and help bake the birthday cake with Elysia. Not sure how that would count as a gift from the Colonel, but Elysia would enjoy it. Unless… she did know that Roy had been a good cook when he was younger, hopefully he had managed to retain that skill. Hawkeye hadn't eaten anything he had cooked since he had been a student of her father's. And if Mustang had somehow managed to retain that skill, it would be a minor miracle if he had, then the three of them could have an amusing afternoon in the kitchen, to say the least. Hawkeye snickered. This is what the Colonel got for foisting off his gift responsibilities on his aide. She couldn't help it. Hawkeye laughed out loud. She couldn't wait to see his expression. Hayate peered up at her, then gamboled along her front of her, happy to see his mommy in such a good mood. She would have to be careful though, when she picked up her superior. She didn't want her expression tipping him off. With a grin she opened the door to the store and entered.


	2. Chapter 2

Mustang wandered out of his kitchen and into his living room to pick up the phone just before the last ring ended.

"Yes?"

"Are you getting ready for the party?" a familiar voice sounded over the telephone. Mustang wheeled around, phone still in hand, to consult the clock. He saw the time and frowned. "Why so early? Do you still have to get Elysia a gift?" he asked worriedly.

"Don't worry sir," the amused voice replied, "that's all under control. I just thought it would be useful to see what we can get if we run a few things by Hughes before the party."

"Three hours early?" Mustang retorted cynically. This didn't seem like his lieutenant.

"Its Elysia's birthday sir," she replied unfazed. "You know how distracted he'll get." Mustang started, then slowly smiled with delight. He lieutenant _really_ did think of everything. His life would implode if he ever had to give her up. Chuckling, he walked to his bedroom and rifled through his closet for a nice shirt and a pair of civilian shoes. He was grabbing his coat when he heard the sound of a car pulling up in front of his house. He threw open the door, was blasted by the icy wind, and rushed back inside to unbury his scarf. Unable to find it, and reluctant to make Hawkeye wait for him, he pulled his coat closer around his neck, then bowed his head, bracing himself as he reopened the door to head for the car. The car door opened as Hawkeye reached over and unlocked the door, pushing it out, then returned to sitting upright behind the wheel. Mustang slid in, turned to close the door, then balked as an arm slid into view. In her hand was his scarf, which he must have left at the headquarters on Friday. With a grin of thanks he wound it around his neck, and the car pulled forward.

* * *

Mustang and Hawkeye marched up to the front door, determined to get in a serious discussion with Hughes, when the door opened to revel an exuberant Elysia.

"Cake, cake!" squealed Elysia, "Uncle Roy and Auntie Riza are gonna make my cake!" She danced around the two officers, one of which was studiously ignoring the glare of the other.

"You didn't realize? I thought some quality time with Elysia would make a nice gift." And with a barely discernable smirk, Hawkeye walked into the house and Gracia's welcoming embrace. Mustang was left standing shocked at his lieutenant's deviousness until Hughes popped out and reproached Roy for taking so long to "get in the freakin' house." With resignation, Mustang complied.

The minute he entered Hughes' house, Mustang was bombarded by an/the excited Elysia, who impatiently told him to take off his coat, put his shoes by the door, and free a hand to drag him into the kitchen with by handing him the apron in her hand. She had Hawkeye already set up with an apron of her own, a bowl and the ingredients arranged around her. Elysia continued to guide Mustang to the counter while Gracia and Hughes looking in, Roy's best friend chuckling at his plight. "Hughes, we have some things we need to discuss." Mustang called over his shoulder.

"No!" shouted Elysia, stamping her foot. "Not until my cake is done."

"She's right Roy", Gracia said. "No business until we're ready for the party." Riza grinned as Mustang bent down and scooped up the birthday girl who shrieked in delight. "Alright little missy, what first?" Elysia giggled. Riza concealed her smile as she scooted around the kitchen gathering ingredients, managing to mostly collect herself by the time she returned to Mustang's side. He made the mistake of trying to put down Elysia, who vehemently protested. Hawkeye quickly scanned the room, and grabbed the nearest chair, which she placed next to the counter, and gently lifted up the protesting young girl, who surveyed the kitchen from her new vantage point, and pronounced her satisfaction. Reaching for the flour, Elysia managed to knock over many of the other ingredients in her way, one of which threatened to roll off the counter. As it reached the edge of the counter, Mustang lunged for it and missed. With a swift motion born from years of catching papers, Hawkeye scooped the container out of the air, replacing it next to Elysia who proceeded to add a large, unmeasured amount of it to the mix. Rolling her eyes at Mustang's sheepish expression, Hawkeye pulled out the recipe and began coaching the girl through an impromptu cooking lesson, which was unlikely to stick on such a young chef. Mustang stood still, enjoying the moment of domestic tranquility with his Lieutenant. He jumped when someone tapped him on the back, and whirled to see Hughes smirking at him. He opened his mouth the tell Hughes something only to be shushed. Motioning upstairs, Hughes quietly lead Mustang upstairs to the displeasure of Hawkeye, who could only glare before having to turn back to distract Elysia from the rapidly retreating Colonel.

* * *

Mustang settled down in Hughes' extensive library. Hughes walked over to his desk, and unlocked one of the lower drawers, withdrawing several files, and then replacing all but the bottom one. He tossed the file to Mustang who caught it and began rifling though its contents. Hughes' perched himself on the edge of his desk and began summarizing the information he had uncovered.

"So the brothers were headed to the border of Xing. They stopped in several towns, but didn't spend more than and hour in any of them. Looks like they were headed into the desert because they borrowed a house for Ed. I couldn't figure out what would be of interest, alchemically speaking, in the middle of the desert, unless they were headed for Xing itself. Not likely though- they didn't get enough supplies. Any ideas?" Hughes paused, looking worriedly at his friend. "Roy?"

"The desert… they must have thought they could find something in Xerxes." Mustang realized.

"Xerxes" mused Hughes. "Do you want me to look up anything on that?"

"No" replied Mustang, standing up and heading for the door. "If the Elrics thought they could find anything in our records they would have asked for them before they left. Plus, someone might get curious s to why the investigations department is researching Xerxes." Mustang's reasoning was interrupted by the flinging open of the door by Elysia who threw herself into his arms. "Uncle Roy, the cake is done!" Hawkeye entered behind her laughing. "Come on Elysia. I think your mother wants to get you cleaned up while the cake is baking. Then we can go back down and finish decorating it. Hopefully Uncle Roy will join us this time." She added directing a look at her errant superior. "Right?" she emphasized, using _that_ tone.

"Uh… yeah!" quickly reassured Mustang. Hawkeye inwardly smiled in satisfaction. She'd missed the chance to see Mustang cooking again now that the cake was done, but she wasn't about to let the Colonel shirk off all of his responsibilities. Taking Elysia's hand, she handed off the child to her mother, then entered the study, closed the door and discarded her apron. "So what were you two discussing?" she inquired quietly.

"We believe that the Elric brothers were trying to recover alchemic information from Xerxes." Hughes quickly briefed Hawkeye. "The question now is how do we go about finding them."

"_Do_ we want to find them?" countered Hawkeye. "Or are we going to trust them to take care of themselves?" both looked expectantly at the Colonel when the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of guests.

"We should examine the information first." Mustang said glancing up at Hawkeye who nodded in agreement. "We can plan out course of action after that." he continued returning his attention back up to Hughes. "But for now I believe you have a party for a certain someone you should be attending."

"You bet. And look at what I got for the occasion." he enthusiastically searched through his desk, not noticing as Hawkeye and Mustang began backing carefully out of the room. "Here!" Hughes produced a new camera just in time to see the door slam behind the fleeing officers.

"Sheesh. And I haven't even taken any pictures yet" he complained, following his friends downstairs.

Hawkeye followed Mustang to find him taking refuge in the kitchen. She inwardly laughed at him, then paused to take a closer look at the inside of the oven. "Hmmm…" she pondered, trying to decide if the cake was ready or not. Mustang saw her look, and reached for an oven mitt.

"I think Elysia may be a little put out if you burn her special cake." he pointed out, and smirked as she glared at him. Stepping forward, he opened the oven, and reached in to extract the cake. He carefully maneuvered the dessert around his lieutenant and gently placed in down on the counter next to the icing Hawkeye had mixed earlier. She shook her head and walked over to join Mustang and inspect the cake. He was right. It was perfect. She turned to see him smirking at her. She had to pause for a minute and strangle the urge to slap the expression off his face. Nope, he hadn't lost his cooking skills. Nor the arrogance he displayed whenever he managed to produce a perfect dish. She sighed, the flinched when she saw him staring at her weirdly.

Mustang shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling of comfort. It was nice to spend time relaxing with his lieutenant in the kitchen; the domesticity of the situation was startling and unusual though… but not at all bad. Then he blinked as he felt the lieutenant flinch and move away from him. She must have caught his train of thought, he realized. No wonder she was uncomfortable. Neither wanted to admit that their relationship was anything beyond that of two professionals with a long, shared history. The law and the timing were both against them, and neither could take the risk a relationship posed. Sometimes though, Mustang admitted, Hawkeye's babysitting of him went a little further than that of a life-long friend. She had risked so much for him, taken bullets for his stupidity, that it went beyond friendship. It was dedication and loyalty to a cause and a person that only love and Hawkeye were capable of. Mustang turned around to follow Hawkeye with his eyes and was rewarded with the sight of her glowering at him. He jumped. He recognized her look as their warning that they had an audience. The tension in the room with them was broken as Gracia bustled in with a newly cleaned/dressed/outfitted Elysia who was determined to rectify all of her mother's mistakes in cleaning her up, and attacked the frosting with energy.

Elysia and Gracia were engaged with the icing of the cake, allowing Mustang to take a chance and pull Hawkeye over to the side. She looked at him oddly and he resolved to tell her that…

"Hey! Did you see that…" Hughes popped into their corner. Unsure of what was going on, Hawkeye muttered," I'll go see how Elysia's doing." and darted away, in the completely wrong direction. Mustang watched her leave with a stormy expression.

"Oh, so you were finally making your move?" Hughes innocently inquired, then realized the danger of his question. Mustang was furious and his fingers were violently snapping without success. Yep. Hughes grinned. He'd definitely hit a nerve.

Hawkeye wandered into the kitchen again, confused and angered that she could have lost her composure like that. There was absolutely no reason to jump so. Mustang probably wanted to bounce a new idea off of her, maybe about Ed and Al's location, and she had fled, like an idiotic amateur. She was reading far too much from his actions than was actually there, conveniently forgetting her decades of experience ferreting out what he didn't want her to know.

"So did Hughes interrupt you two?" casually asked Gracia. Hawkeye whirled to gape at Hughes' wife. "He's been trying to throw you two together for years, but only manages to foul things up." She observed, sighing at her husband's folly. "Icing goes on the cake not your fingers honey" she reprined, then returned to Hawkeye. "I tell him it pointless, you two are inevitable anyway."

Hawkeye stared at her friend, momentarily speechless, then hastily recovered her composure. "Oh, he just interrupted a business discussion." she clarified. "Business?" Gracia repeated, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes, Hughes is looking up some information for us. The Elrics haven't shown up recently and you know it's a good idea to keep an eye on those two." Gracia caught the coding. "And I'd hoped they might show up for Elysia's party." The child in question squealed in delight as the cake was lifted and carried into the dining room. "Watch out" Gracia laughed "Hughes will be going crazy with that camera he insisted on getting for the party." Hawkeye chuckled and tried to relax and enjoy the party. Elysia's joy was contagious, and Maes and Gracia were just as happy. Even Mustang managed to smile and laugh. Hawkeye alone wasn't relaxed by the festive atmosphere, so she reverted to the persona she new best, and hid behind the mask of the professional officer that was feared at the office. And resigned herself to waiting out the party.

Hughes glanced over to that Hawkeye had reverted back to her professional persona again. Oops. He really had interrupted something important. Maybe he should try and make amends. But how to do so? Perhaps he should employ Gracia's help. No, she would just scold him for interfering. Or… his daughter? Maybe Elysia in all her innocence, could try and fix the little problem between the two love birds. If she lasted that long. His daughter yawned, and was clearly starting to drop off. It looked like the party was coming to a close. With a smile , he lifted his daughter in his arm, where her head dropped onto his shoulder, and carried her upstairs.

Gracia hugged Hawkeye and Mustang as they exited out the door. The Lieutenant walked over to the driver's side of the car, ignoring Mustang's protests with the ease of practice. The drive home was silent, but not the comfortable silence of companionship the two occasionally found themselves in. It was the silence of unspoken secretes and questions. Hawkeye pulled to a stop at the Colonel's house. He slowly stepped out of the car, only to be pulled back by a hand. There was a pause. Then Hawkeye handed over the files. "You may need these, Sir" With a nod of thanks, he walked up the driveway/pathway to his home. He heard the car drive off as he searched his coat pocket for the key, without success. Reaching for the other pocket, he fumbled, and the files slipped. He swore as they fanned out across his doorstep. He retrieved the key, unlocked the door, and bent down to gather the scattered information. His eyes widened, and he retrieved a piece of paper, scanning it as he straightened. With a dangerous grin, which would have automatically set Lt. Hawkeye on high alert, he closed his door, and donned his gloves. Folding the piece of paper, he walked back down to the street and began heading towards the center of the city.


	3. Chapter 3

Hawkeye unlocked the door and sighed with relief when she was the only one in the office. Then she berated herself. Of course she was the only one in the room. She was always the earliest. And she'd unlocked the door, hadn't she? She was being ridiculous, and would have to do her best to act normally. Only one person would notice she was unsettled, but he was the very person she didn't want prying. At least, she thought grimly, he wouldn't be in for at least another hour. She sat down at her desk and began sorting papers between her pile, the trash pile, and the pile that _absolutely_ required the colonel or another one of the team to sign. As always, her stack was the largest. Much of it would undoubtedly go home with her tonight, so she tucked the lower priority papers into her bag. Hayate lifted his head to watch her before turning his head to see who was outside the door. Havoc, Falman, and Fuery walked in, followed by Breda who, who was trying to scoot as far around Hayate as possible and Hayate, showing an remarkable sense of humor, yipped an excited greeting at the reluctant Breda. Havoc and Fuery laughed at the two as Falman approached Hawkeye and received his portion of work. The normal antics ensued, and everyone settled down to the normal routine. 15 minutes, 30, then an hour passed, and Mustang still did not enter. Hawkeye's annoyance flared at his rude absence. Perhaps he was sleeping in late, having stayed up late mulling over the files and plotting. She hoped that was the case, rather than him having spent the night at a bar. She had the barmen on her side though, and they kept her updated, via telephone, from the moment he walked into any of their bars and called her once he'd had more drinks than she considered appropriate. Therefore any drinking last night would have happened at his house, but the stash he had there was more that a little collection on whiskey. He didn't know she's seen how large is cache was; she had walked in on him several times while he was drinking and refilling his glass. The Colonel could very well be lying comatose in his house. She stood up and stalked over to the phone sitting on the Colonel's desk, ignoring the curious looks aimed at her back. She dialed, listened, then slowly replaced the phone it ins cradle before looking back up at her team mates who bowed their heads back over their work a moment to late to avoid her gaze. "Has anyone seen Mustang yet?"

"Don't know where he is? Maybe he's at a bar." Fuery interjected. The others rolled their eyes at Fuery. Had he really _not_ noticed how close an eye the Lieutenant kept on their errant superior? But Hawkeye did not grace the question with a reply, simply grabbed her coat and walked out. Mustang was now three hours late and if he was sleeping off a few drinks, then it was _her_ responsibility to run over to his house and wake him up. She'd rather babysit Elysia any day. Hayate trotted after her.

"No boy. You stay here with Fuery. I'll be right back." _After I wake up that idiot_ she silently added. "Stay" she commanded again, stepping back to reopen the door for her companion. Hayate slunk back into the room to settle at Fuery's side. Hawkeye left for her car.

* * *

Lt. Hawkeye parked the car in front of the Colonel's house. If he were up, he'd be running to the door at the sound of her car. No such luck. When he failed to show up after a few minutes (which was a generous time allotment for her), she shut down the engine and climbed out. Something about the front stoop was bothering her; she could tell what it was. Striding up to the front door, she found they were the files Hughes had gathered for them. Unconscious habit had her gathering the papers before realizing she didn't know how they got there in the first place. Abruptly filled with forbidding, she righted herself and reached for the door handle, finding the house still locked. The momentary relief she felt was quickly banished by the realization that Mustang never locked his house while he was there. He was confidant that his reputation as the Flame Alchemist was deterrent enough, particularly while he was occupying the dwelling. The interior of the house confirmed her fears. No lights, no coat, no shoes, and an undisturbed bed testified that he had entered his house last might. Suddenly she was furious at herself. How could she be so careless? Two minutes was all it would've taken to watch him safely enter his house, she berated herself, unaware that Mustang had not been attacked, but too curious for his own good. She'd failed her duty. The only thing she'd promised him, and she couldn't even do that. Disgusted, she slammed the front door behind her, and threw herself into the vehicle. Driving back to Central Headquarters, she tried to regain her composure and barely succeeded. She was about the Elric boys granted, but they weren't exactly the best of fighters. Whatever had gotten Mustang though, would be a much deadlier opponent. Slowing at a light, she made a sudden decision and, speeding up, whipped her car around the corner, heading away from the Headquarters. Pulling up in front of a different building, she hurried inside. Without knocking, she burst into an office and confronted Hughes.

"We need to talk."

Hughes looked around the office at the other two people occupying the space, and pulled her into his personal office.

"Mustang's missing" she stated simply, watching Hughes' expression pale.

Then he nodded and turned back to his desk. Hawkeye stared at him, and was about to yell when he said," It must have been the information. Something in that file must've frightened someone." Realization dawned on Hawkeye, "So if we recover the file and find out what's missing…"

"…then we'll know why he's gone." completed Hughes.

"Are we going to tell the military that he, in addition to the Elrics, is now missing? Or are we going to contain that too? And how are we going to get the files?"

"Worried about messing with a crime scene?" Hughes' lips twitched, as Hawkeye glared. "Don't worry, I'll come with you and claim that I was "cleaning up the scene" if we get caught. Helps to have a friend in investigations doesn't it?" Hughes teased her. His smile faded, as it tended to when he was around one of the pair without the other. They had the tendency to worry about each other when they weren't in each other's direct line of sight (or in Hawkeye's case, fire) and this tended to leak out into the general atmosphere around them not matter what they did. And Hawkeye was clearly frightened about something. Whether it was for the Colonel as the focal of the plan or the Colonel as a person wasn't clear, but it didn't really matter which. She was concerned and that was what was important. Hughes used his "clumsy" attempts at throwing the two together to give them a common enemy, and it may have worked. The two avoided all thoughts of their relationship so adamantly that they had nearly convinced everyone but their closest coworkers that there wasn't any attraction, and they worked so hard to avoid it that they didn't notice his gentle manipulation. If Hawkeye was so worried, then she may finally be breaking under the strain of retaining a professionalism, Though knowing the Lt. it wouldn't last long, just long enough for her to find the missing Colonel and thoroughly scold him for disappearing or not being adequately prepared for a fight, whichever the case may be. But she would never leave the Colonel, because she believed in his goal, just as much as Hughes and the rest of the team did. However, Hughes was one of the few who thought as far as to after the rebellion. His next goal after unseating the corrupt military government was to see his best friend married and happy like himself. Hughes assumed that Hawkeye would be the final, lucky lady. She was the only women with whom Mustang had a relationship (whether professional or not) based on mutual admiration, trust and dedication rather than image and popularity. And his friendship with her was the only relationship that had lasted longer than a night- about twenty years longer- and that was plenty of time to get to know the intimate details about someone. Not to mention that Mustang saw her as a person, not just the temporary date he considered many of his other women- which was what set him across as a womanizer. Half the time though, Mustang's dates were just a way to make Hawkeye jealous, or a way to get out of work early (which Hawkeye normally got revenge for the next day. Not that it every stopped the Colonel) It was past time for the two to just get together for heaven's sake. Enough with claiming "the country came first". Their excuses and denials drove him _nuts. _His hopeful musings were punctured when Hawkeye retorted in a steely voice "If we loose the Colonel, this country will be doomed. We'd better go find him" with that she reverted to her professional persona, and whirled to exit the room. Well, no such luck today. Still, if he was so easily deterred by such small obstacles as these, then he would have given up working with the Colonel years ago. "Lets go recover those files."

* * *

Hawkeye tried to casually stroll up to Mustang's house, but was certain she wasn't succeeding in the least. Wouldn't the neighbors notice this was the second time she'd driven up within the hour? Wouldn't they notice how tense she was, and that she wasn't driving and that there was another military person with her…. gritting her teeth she laboriously pulled herself away from the edge of panic. _Just act normal_ she thought _You're just a friend who often stops by this man's house. Act normal. You're always hanging around here. It your job. Now shut up and do it. _Reaching the stoop, she bent down, memorized the order in which the papers had fallen, as Hughes had taught her too, then gathered up the strewn information. Without looking around, a surprising challenge, she stood up, gently knocked on the door and waited, as if expecting Mustang to actually answer the door. After a few seconds, she strolled back to the car and slipped in, taking pains to portray an image of calm. Hughes slowly pulled out and they drove off. A huge sigh of relief exited their lips a few streets later as they reached the headquarters. After a minute they exited the car and marched to Mustang's office.

* * *

The teams' heads shot up the minute the door opened. The quick check up on the Colonel should have taken several minutes. Hawkeye had been gone for an hour and a half. Fuery opened his mouth to ask, but Hawkeye immediately deflected his questions with a small, almost imperceptible shake of her head. She walked over to her desk, grabbed a pen and a scrap of paper as she began to talk. "So how much paperwork got done?" Quick shuffling of papers and coughing followed her remark. Hawkeye folded the scrap, grabbed another piece of paperwork and passed both to Havoc. He took both without blinking, and glanced over the paper while subtly reading Hawkeye's message. _Missing_. Casually as possible, he dropped the note on Breda's pile who scanned it, then passed it on. As the message made its way around the table, Lieutenant Hawkeye settled herself and Hughes at Mustang's desk, ignoring Falman's look of curiosity, first directed at her back, then at the note slowly smoldering in Havoc's ashtray. Hughes placed the folder he was carrying down next to the file they'd recovered and began conversing with the First Lieutenant in low tones.

"So here are copies of everything I gave to Roy." Hughes started as they began matching the papers together. "What is missing?" A few minuets of silence, punctuated by increasingly interested looks from the rest of the now concerned team, passed before Hawkeye held up a paper. "Do you have the match for this one?" Hughes pointed over at a pile without looking up, which Hawkeye proceeded to search without luck. "Its not here." They exchanged a look.

"Look again to make sure."

Hawkeye re-searched the pile, then the others around it. "Not here." she restated, when the match did not appear. "Bingo" Hughes said. "Let's see it."

Hawkeye brought the paper over to the team's worktable, and everyone gathered around it. "Alright" she stated, "Mustang's missing and it's related somehow to this paper. "

There was a moment of intense concentration before Havoc threw up his hands in frustration. "But what does this have to do with Mustang?" he yelled, only to be immediately shushed. "It doesn't make sense."

"There has to be a relation." Falman muttered. "But why was it included in the first place?"

"I took everything the Elrics had accessed in the last six months. This was one of those files." Hughes replied, holding up the newspaper clipping. Across the top of the clipping was blazoned the title "Mangled Body Found Underground: Large Beast Suspected". Fuery walked back from Mustang's desk. "Maybe if we search through the rest of the information, we'll find something that connects this to his disappearance." Havoc and Breda nodded enthusiastically in agreement while Falman just sighed. Divvying up the information, they settled back down at their table and set to work. Hawkeye took the other copy of the file and strode up to the door with Hughes. "Thank you for the help sir. We'll call you if anything else comes up, or if we need more information." Hughes smiled and exited the Colonel's office as the Lieutenant shut the door behind him. Returning to her desk she retrieved a notebook from a locked drawer in her desk, that was almost invisible to the uninformed eye. Opening it, she began comparing the notes she'd compiled for the coup to the papers on her desk.

* * *

Hawkeye leaned back from her desk with a barely audible groan. She was done with all the notes she could possibly take today, but hadn't managed to uncover many connections. Why had the Elrics been researching… she consulted her notebook… chimeras _and_ military death records, and how was any of this connected with Mustang? Resignedly, she walked over to the coat rack, where her jacket hung alone, the others having left long before. Hayate perked up his head as she donned her coat, and packed the file in her bag, which she threw over her shoulder, and grabbed the notebook. "We can go now" she reassured her patiently waiting dog. "I'm getting hungry too."


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: I decided to take this in a **_**slightly**_** different way than I had intended, and am probably going to use an event from one of the episodes (can't remember which one) so keep in mind that ths ins't enritly original. **

**Disclaimer: Nope. FMA still doesn't belong to me **

Hawkeye normally felt safe enough walking the dark streets with her faithful dog and reliable aim, but even she had difficulty beating off such a powerful opponent with so little warning. One minute she was glancing down at the trembling Hayate, the next moment she was thrown up against the wall by a huge force running into her. Going for her gun, she wheeled to face her attacker and was rammed again. Flipping her gun out, she fired several shots into the mass of her attacker, who then disappeared. Breathing heavily, Hawkeye strained for any sign of her attacker. The small whine from her dog was the only warning she had before her attacker dropped down on her from above. Hawkeye thrust her foot at the attacker's head (or where she thought it'd be) quickly firing several rounds, and hitting vital locations each time. Not a single bullet stopped, or even slowed, her attacker. With a gasp, she began retreating from her advancing attacker, before turning and running. Her head cracked as she hit the pavement, her opponent on top of her. She groped for her gun, but couldn't reach it and the edges of her vision were fading. She couldn't breath, couldn't see, couldn't move and fight- it was a nightmare. Was this how Mustang had disappeared, fighting this faceless and shapeless menace? The world fuzzed out, then refocused until it all faded to black and Hawkeye drifted away.

* * *

The release of pressure off her lungs, and Hayate's tongue on her face roused Hawkeye from her oxygen-starved unconsciousness. She lay, gasping, on the alleyway pavement for several minutes, gathering the strength to retrieve her guns and stand. She leaned against the wall, catching her self after stumbling over her bag, which had escaped the attack unscathed, the notes and files still intact. Her knees trembled and she collapsed, sliding down the wall to sit on the ground, hugging her knees and burying her face to stave off the lightheadedness and weakness leftover from her fight. Hayate crept over to her, whining and butting his head against her leg. She unwrapped her arms from her knees and reached over to hug her wonderful dog. "Thank you, Black Hayate" she croaked, "Don't worry. I'll be alright in a minute." She tried to stand and Hayate placed his paws on her thighs. "Alright, we can go." she rasped, "Just let me get my bag." Hoisting it up, the two limped their way home.

* * *

Hawkeye hobbled down the street, looking up in time to catch a glimpse of Mustang's house. Seeing a memento of her colonel reminded her of her realization, spurred by her invisible opponent's appearance. It may have been the same attacker. With renewed determination, she changed direction to return to the scene of the fight. But first she was going to grab a few_ supplies_ she had left in the care of the Colonel.

* * *

Hayate whimpered in fear as they approached the alleyway. Hawkeye produced a gun, but there was no sign of their assailant. The alleyway appeared completely empty. With great trepidation, Hawkeye and Hayate cautiously tracked the assailant's trail back to its layer.

* * *

The convoluted route the Lieutenant and her canine followed ended at an entrance leading underground; whether to a basement or the sewers she couldn't determine. Gazing down the stairs, past the locked gate, she saw a dark tunnel leading down into the black. Her unease grew exponentially. She couldn't beat off the one attacker with her gun, if her opponent had allies it would be suicide. Hawkeye backed up from the gate, preparing to find back additional support when she caught the distant strains of yelling and shouts of pain. She rushed back to the gate, listened for a moment, confirming the identity of the familiar voice, and shot off the lock of the gate, running down into the depths of the tunnel with her heart in her throat. She knew that voice. Mustang was near, and by the sounds of conflict, was in need of her support (or more accurately, her gun). His back, her job, and their dream was threatened, and she ran faster down the hallways until the light filtering underground increased, and she reached a horrifying sight. Rows of snakes, lizards, dogs, and demons, mutated almost beyond recognition, stretched out before her, blocking her way. Their growls rose as she appeared in their territory, and there was a moment of frozen shock, before the chimeras leapt. Desperately Hawkeye drew her machine gun and fired, filling the hallway with smoke, shots and blood.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors Notes: Seeing as this is my first story, I'm not sure how well it is turning out. Reviews are welcomed! Someone asked me why the attacker would take the article if people could use that to find out where Mustang went, but it was Mustang who took the article with him when he went to investigate a hunch. **

Hayate slunk into the office, where the team had reconvened on Hughes' orders to analyze another file Hughes had hastily assembled. He huddled next to Fuery, who bent down absently to pet his head. Unexpectedly, Hayate grabbed Fuery's sleeve with his teeth and tugged him towards the door, threatening to tear the uniform sleeve. Fuery squeaked in surprise, drawing the attention of the others who, seeing Hayate, searched automatically for Hawkeye. When she didn't show up, they all shrugged, returning to work, except for Fuery, who was trying to shake off the insistent puppy still attached to his arm. He stood, finally freeing himself from the puppy who ran to the door and yipped at it, looking back to see if Fuery was following. "Alright, I'll let you out." He opened the door and let Hayate scamper out. "There you go. Now stop bothering us." The door had barely latched behind Fuery before there was scratching heard from the other side. Hoe reopened it and looked down as Hayate dashed back into the office, circling Fuery, and butted the back of the humans leg with his head, trying to herd the thickheaded person out of the room. Breda mumbled hasty excuses and disappeared from the room. Falman continued to work, ignoring the dog's antics, but Havoc and Hughes sauntered over to Fuery.

"Having some trouble, Sergeant?" Havoc smirked, eliciting a chuckle from Hughes. "You certainly have an persistent friend there." Fuery grabbed the edges of the doorway as the dog butted into his legs again. "I don't know what's going on, sir. He seems pretty worried and we won't give up. Can I go see what he wants?"

"Sure" said Hughes loudly, drowning out Havoc's grumbles. "It'd better be worth it." With a grateful smile, Fuery disappeared down the hallway, running after Black Hayate.

* * *

Maes smiled, and closed to door, mulling over the dog's behavior. Walking back to the desk, he asked over his shoulder. "You called Hawkeye, telling her to meet us at the office, didn't you? Havoc nodded, his cigarette trembling on his lip. "And you left a message?" Havoc nodded his head again, rolling his eyes, and popped his feet on the table. "If she's not home at this time of night," Hughes concluded, after consulting the clock which read 12:30, "and she's not with Hayate, then were _is _she?" Havoc's cigarette fell off his lip. Sharing a moment of realization, the two bolted after Fuery and Hayate. With the Elrics, Mustang, and now Hawkeye gone, Fuery may just be the next, accidental, casualty. He might need help.

* * *

Havoc and Hughes caught up with Fuery a few streets away from Central Headquarters. Havoc stood, bent over with hands on knees, breathing deeply, as Hughes gasped out an explanation to Fuery. "Hawkeye is missing. Hayate must know where she is." With that, Hughes and Fuery ran on after Black Hayate, while Havoc tried to catch up.

Hayate slowed to a walk as they entered an alleyway deep in the warehouse district of the city. The men noticed this, and Fuery shrunk behind the other two as they readied their respective weapons. The flick of the safety seemed to echo in silent alleyway, but Havoc knew they weren't alone. Maybe it came from surviving Ishbal, or maybe it was natural, but he seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to detecting enemies. He wasn't as good a marksman as Hawkeye, but he seemed as quick because he was always aware of threats before others. Havoc was certain that there lurked something down that tunnel that was _not _going to be friendly. He and Hayate were in _complete_ agreement.


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow. Ok, I can't tell you how bad I feel about not updated. I have had this story finished for months, but just simply never got around to posting it. If you haven't noticed, I won't be updating on any kind of schedual- inspiration (not to mention time) comes when it comes. Sorry! Though I do have an exciting new (and very complicated) story in mind. Not FMA though. Lets see if I ever get around to posting it... or at least writing it. **

**Disclaimer. Haha. Funny. No. **

* * *

_Hayate slowed to a walk as they entered an alleyway deep n the warehouse district of the city. The men noticed this, and Fuery shrunk behind the other two as they readied their respective weapons. The flick of the safety seemed to echo in silent alleyway, but Havoc knew they weren't alone. Maybe it came from surviving Ishbal, or maybe it was natural, but he seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to detecting enemies. He wasn't as good a marksman as Hawkeye, but he seemed as quick because he was always aware of threats before others. Havoc was certain that there lurked something down that tunnel that was not going to be friendly. He and Hayate were in complete agreement._

_

* * *

_

"If Hawkeye and Mustang are down there" Hughes whispered," They're probably in need of support." Havoc nodded in agreement, but Fuery shrunk even further back to the wall.

"Well…uh...I" stuttered Fuery

"Will be staying here." Hughes finished, with the tone of command, then smiled comfortingly. "You'll be are backup. Anything goes wrong and send Hayate for the others." Fuery gulped, then nodded. Havoc raised his gun, looking back at Hughes, and together they crept down the tunnel.

Havoc reached a curve in the tunnel and slowly peered around the corner. What he saw made him gasp and pull back, and Hughes, after studying his horrified expression, glanced around the corner himself,. He gasped in equal shock. The walls were liberally dowsed with red, and there were smears of blood and gore following meandering paths to the dead bodies of the most grotesque… things Hughes had ever encountered. They weren't natural combinations of animals. _Chimeras_ he realized. Even as weakened as their numbers were, the chimeras posed a enormous threat to the two men. He was about to suggest to Havoc that they find another route when he felt a tap on is shoulder. Havoc's news chilled him.

"Targets to the rear. Fire?"

Hughes shook his head. He wanted to see if they could get past first. He was about to propose this to Havoc when he noticed several pair of glowing eyes slinking towards their position from his end of the tunnel. "On second thought" he corrected, catching a glimpse of a very familiar hair clip, "yes. You are free to fire. I think they went this way." He pointed his head towards the tunnel where Hawkeye's hair clip lay, from which sounds of conflict also resounded. "Sounds like they're keeping up a resistance."

"If we can make it." Havoc grunted, loading and firing his gun. Hughes snorted in agreement, readying his knives for whatever beast got past Havoc. After several minutes of backing up (on the part of Havoc and Hughes) and advancing (on the part of the chimeras) with several close calls (resolved by Hughes' blade skills), the two men reached an enormous stone door, at which point the chimeras became more restless and aggressive. They'd also massed more, fresher reinforcements to make up for the comrades cut down by the respective weaponry of the military men. Havoc suddenly fumbled with his gun, trying to reload quickly, and the chimeras took the chance. But their abrupt lunge forward was interrupted as the door blasted outward. The massive explosion was followed by the stifling billow of smoke and fire that was the signature of the Flame Alchemist. The fried chimeras, or at least the few that survived, howled in agony, tumbling into the sewer water in an useless attempt to extinguish themselves. Hughes and Havoc, sheltered on the other side of the doorway remains and out of the direct line of fire (A.N. haha, literally), sighed in relief as the number of opponents drastically decreased. But they certainly weren't gone, nor were they defeated. An ungraceful scramble proceeded as Hughes and Havoc struggled to enter the room the explosion had originated from, not realizing that the room the Flame Alchemist was battling in may not be any safer than the tunnel they were escaping from. The two men turned to observe their "refuge" and stood, stunned.

* * *

**A.N. Ok, so normally I don't like it when authors insert notes directly into the text, but I only found that pun **_**after**_** I wrote this, and was proofreading for the posting, and had to laugh. Anyway, apologies again for the LONG wait, but I'll post the rest as soon and v-ball and school permit!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N. Ok, so I've been learning just how hard it is to write action scenes without sounding ridiculous. Here are my best efforts- please tell me how it turned out! (in other words- REVIEW!) Also, I got a request for more line breaks, so hopefully this will be more comfortable to read. **

**Disclaimer: You just **_**have**_** to rub it in, don't you. No, its not mine. **

**P.S. Does anyone else feel like my sentence structure gets repetitive? it comes from writing too many formal essays, and not enough creative stories.**

**

* * *

**

Havoc was gaping at the scene unfolding in front of him, and even Hughes was momentarily stunned before he come to his senses and pulled Havoc to the side, seeking shelter behind a huge slab of broken concrete. Half of their shock was from the room's inhabitants, the other half from the room itself. The room was massive, the ceiling so far above that it was hardly visible, and the walls obscured by pipes, gears and machinery. And in the very center of the room sat a console with a chair and hundreds of arterial tubes.

Standing next to the chair was a tall, blonde, and vaguely familiar man over which towered the most horrific, mutilated, multifaced…nightmare… that either of them had ever encountered. And with a roar the… thing tore itself free of the concrete pillars it was impaled upon, blackish fluid running down its side as an evil laugh rumbled out its enormous mouth. "You think _that_ can stop us?" shrieked Envy. "Your going to have to do better than that!" he challenged as red lights sparked over its side. The gaping holes, which would have stopped any normal creature, rapidly closed.

Hughes and Havoc crouched watching, transfixed, as the beast leapt towards a small, familiar, blonde braided figure. "Brother" shouted a piece of metal as it struggled to stand. Ed turned towards the charging Envy, leaping aside in time to avoid the blast of flame from behind him, which hit Envy face on. "Are you _asking _to get singed?" Mustang bellowed.

Havoc turned to grin at Hughes, but Hughes was focused on something behind him. A childish voice sounded from above Havoc. "Can I eat them, Father?" the creature perched on top of the concrete slab moaned. "Can I? Can I? I'm hungry."

"Yes Gluttony" the tall figure drawled, without even turning to identify Gluttony's meal. Hughes and Havoc slowly backed out into the open, watching to see what that…thing called Gluttony would do. Ed spotted them and yelled at Mustang. " Hey, looks like you managed to pull in even more people into this mess, Colonel Bastard", automatically assigning the Colonel the blame.

"Hey, just think of it as additional support." Mustang shouted back, sending a ball of fire at Envy's eye, who screamed in pain, blundering blindly and almost crushing Al.

"Watch out!"

Ed slammed his hands together desperately, and a huge stone pillar pushed the body of armor out of the way before one of Envy's massive feet came down on top of him.

* * *

Hughes and Havoc were having no better luck holding off Gluttony. The knives and bullets stuck in him didn't even knock the homunculi down, much less kill him, and with their amazing regenitive powers, homunculi could survive multiple deaths, The multiple "small" wounds Gluttony had already suffered from Mustang and the Elrics made no difference either.

Mustang tried to keep an eye on both battles, but was having trouble. Envy had advanced to pin Al, who was trying, unsuccessfully, to rouse the unconscious Ed, so Mustang nearly missed seeing Havoc fall over a piece of rubble. He had time only for a quick, unaimed flame to stall Gluttony before rushing over to the Elrics, now separately pinned under to monster's paws. Envy saw him coming and wiped him out with a quick flick of his tail. Mustang slammed to the ground and barely managed to roll out of the way of Envy's foot, but the claws caught and tore Mustangs alchemy gloves.

"Shit" he hissed, nursing his bloody hands. At a sudden crash, he turned back and "oofed" as he was slammed down to the floor again. With horror, he watched Gluttony stalking forward over the uneven floor to the now unarmed Hughes, stumbling under the weight of Havoc who he was supporting. Mustang struggled against the heavy weight of Envy, who simply laughed at his efforts, then pressed down harder on his prisoners. Sick with trepidation and uselessness, Mustang watched his friend and his subordinate face the inevitable death by digestion.

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"Bam. _Bam_. Bam. _Bam_."

Four perfectly aimed shots rang out, one after the other. Gluttony reeled back with a bullet in each bloody eye, the center of his forehead, and his throat. He struggled to sit back up, but was forced back down when three more shots rang out in quick succession and Hawkeye dropped down upon him.

Envy reared in surprise, momentarily releasing his hold on the alchemists, allowing Mustang to roll free and aid Ed in dragging a damaged Al out of the fray. Hawkeye quickly slit Gluttony's throat with a knife to hold him off for a few more minutes. "Sir" she yelled. Three items flew through the air. Mustang caught and donned the new pair of gloves as Havoc reloaded his gun. Maes fumbled the knife she threw him, fingers slipping on the blood that covered it. Hawkeye switched her attention from one homunculus to the other. With carefully measured bursts of fire, she aimed at Envy's eyes, throat, brain and heart. Which each shot she advanced, and with each step she staggered further back, howling in agony.

Suddenly there was a much more animalistic shriek of pain. Maes, having seen the chimeras slinking hesitantly into the room, had whipped around and flung his blade straight through the brain of nearest one. Just as quickly, Mustang and the Elrics began aiming alchemist attacks into the midst of the hoard. Maes backed behind the three alchemists, hoping to find a new weapon. A slight motion warned him to the threat before the wounded chimera attacked. But human reflexes weren't fast enough to get him completely out of the path of the beast, and he yelled as the beast's claws tore into his arm and side. "Shit" snarled Mustang as he saw his best friend fall. Recklessly he threw his flames into the destruction of the chimera that had downed his friend. "Chief" hollered Havoc, clearing Mustang's head long enough for his subordinate to pull Hughes to safety, covered by Hawkeye's gun. Sheltering Hughes under a slab of concrete, Havoc and Hawkeye advanced on Gluttony, trading shots, trying to kill the Homunculus as many times as possible. The mass of chimeras was left to the alchemists.

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Envy peeled open an eye, slowly battling the pain, and the first thing he spotted was Hawkeye. _Damn that human_ he though furiously _how dare that puny…HUMAN…kill him. He would… he would get that bitch. _And with a flick of his tongue, he attacked.

Hawkeye paused to expertly reload her gun when she felt Havoc freeze beside her. She was about to turn to see what threat he'd detected when something slimy slammed into her, wrapping tightly around her arms and legs, hoisting her off her feet to reel her in like a fish on a line. "Lieutenant!" screamed Havoc, as she was smashed into the wall. Envy laughed cruelly as the Lt.'s head whipped back, spraying blood into the air and leaving a smear on the wall. "Hawkeye" yelled Havoc again, desperately. Mustang whirled to see what was harming _his_ lieutenant and froze in horror at the sight of his Lt., hanging limp and bloody from Envy's grip. There was a moment of silent shock before Mustang recovered and roared.

"Hawkeye!"

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**Hehe. don't fall off the cliffie! Next Chapter coming soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N. We're nearing the end...exciting isn't it. I'm not sure what quality the writing is though, and feedback is **_**always**_** accpeting. So please. Think of it as a small admission fee to read the story- a donation of sorts to the feedback deprived writers of the world!**

**Disclaimer: For the last time, FMA does _not_ belong to me!**

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A sudden flash of light, a bang of retort, and an exploding pillar from the floor, and Envy's tongue fell from his mouth, severing his hold on the Lieutenant. Envy shrieked in agony and frustration as Hawkeye collapsed to the ground.

Mustang sprinted to her side, disregarding the danger and knelt beside her. He rolled her over to feel her faint pulse, struggling to breath evenly. Feeling her neck, he relaxed. She'd survived, albeit with a weak pulse. Abruptly filled with joy (more than would have been justifiable between a commanding officer and his subordinate, he later realized) he hugged her to his chest, pulling her to her feet. She groaned as she shifted, then awoke with a flutter of her eyes.

Only momentarily disoriented, Hawkeye recovered and quickly analyzed the situation around them, pushing away from Mustang, then scanned the uneven floor for her gun. Stumbling and unsuccessful, she retuned her gaze to Mustang and berated him in a breathless and pained voice "There was no need Sir, your more useful _away _from the danger." And stumbled again.

Mustang caught and righted her (he seemed to be doing a lot of that these days. Not that he _minded_ having his Lt. in his arms). He paused in helping her stand, to instead reach around his back and grab his gun from its holster, passing it over to her, secure in the knowledge that she would make far better use of it than he would. The only thing he could aim worth a damn was his flames, and it was a fair trade- new gloves for him for a replacement firearm for her. With a nod of thanks, she accepted it, immediately raising it to fire at her Colonel's head.

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The bullet whizzed over Mustang's shoulder and hit Gluttony squarely in the eye. "Thank you" he said with a smirk, trying to disguise his shakiness. She nodded, rolling her eyes at his inattention (actually, it was not that he wasn't paying attention, it was just that his focus was focused on…other things. Like her safety.) Starting to walk over to Gluttony, she was hauled back by her arm to Mustang, an exasperated expression on his face.

He continued to haul her away from the fray and over to the slab where Maes was sheltered, still bleeding from his wound. "See what you can do for him, and cover this position." Mustang ordered. Hawkeye's face was mulish; she refused babysitter duty for anyone aside her Colonel. Particularly when he clearly planned to return to the fight. Mustang was too concerned for her safety to play around though, and he practically shoved her down next to Hughes. "He's bleeding too much. He needs help." He pointed out. With a sigh, Hawkeye began ripping strips of cloth to bandage what little they could. Falsely reassured, Mustang hurried back to the fight.

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Hawkeye sat back after she tied off the bandage, and assessed the situation impartially. Al and Havoc were having more luck against the chimeras than Mustang and Ed were against the Homunculi. The two weren't likely to last much longer, and even Havoc, who was fresher than the others, was running out of ammo. With a grunt, she hauled Hughes up, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, and staggered toward the door, ignoring her own lightheadedness and blood loss. She reached Havoc and passed him a handful of magazines. "See if you can make a momentary break in their ranks" she commanded, referring to the chimeras. Havoc nodded and Hawkeye readjusted Hughes so she could grab Mustang's gun from her belt. Resettling Hughes, she began firing alongside Havoc, keeping their backs to the wall as they inched toward the door.

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Mustang turned to check on Hughes and Hawkeye. _Shit. They were gone._ Scrutinizing the room swiftly, he found them positioned next to Havoc, back in the midst of the battle. He was about to charge over there to haul her back when he noticed what she was planning. Ed flipped over this head and landed next to him. "Are you going to fight or _not_ Colonel?" he demanded wearily.

"Yes kid, but we've got to strategize. Hawkeye is trying to make a break for the tunnel with Hughes. She probably intends for us to cover them since they're likely to run out of ammo soon."

"So we have to drive the chimeras out of the way while holding off the Homunculi too? Well why didn't you say so before? Good thing you have us along" he quipped from over his shoulder as he dashed towards his brother with new energy.

"Al, wall" he shouted as he reached his brother and, "clap!". A huge concrete wall shot out of the ground between Havoc, Hawkeye, and Hughes, and the chimeras.

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The military officers sprinted out of the room, making it safely to the hallway despite their wounds and burden. Ed and Al, however, were left stuck in the middle of the mass. Rolling his eyes, Mustang vaulted into the center and spun in a circle, sending bolts of flame on every direction. "Come on kid. This isn't time to lag behind." Ed scowled, but followed Al out into the tunnel. Havoc and Ed were gasping from breath when Mustang turned back from sealing the door with Al. Al's armor was dinged, but he was ready to fight as always. Hawkeye was bowed under the strain of simultaneously supporting Hughes, covering Havoc, and attempting to protect her errant Colonel. He face showed little emotion, as it normally did, but every line of her body screamed her exhaustion. Mustang offered to relieve her of Hughes, but she refused. "It is probably more prudent for you to have your hands free than for me." she pointed out. Mustang was about to retort with her blood loss and head wound when Hughes regained consciousness. They would have undoubtedly spent more time arguing had the door not shook with the force of something (probably Envy) ramming into it, so instead they began retreating back to the entrance, Hawkeye still partially supporting the bleary Hughes.

Havoc, at the front of the group, suddenly halted and swore. They were so close to the entrance that he could feel the draft of clean air, but he'd noticed the chimeras lurking between then and their freedom. _Damnit! Did their opponents have an unlimited supply of these things or something?_ Ed's voice rang out from somewhere behind him.  
"Hey! What's the hold up?"

"We have some…company…waiting for us up here"

There was a pause and then Mustang replied. "Damn. We're going to have some back here too, soon." Pause. "How far ahead?"

"Right in front of the exit" Havoc reported back instantly. "No way to avoid them." Mustang shut his eyes in concentration for a moment, then reopened them. "Alright. Don't fire until their close enough. Don't waste rounds. Wait for them to come to us." The team settled for a minute- Hawkeye, Maes, and Havoc facing the exit, Mustang and the Elrics back down the tunnel, both waiting for their targets to close in the range.

A sudden burst of fire startled all of them with its unexpectedness. Mustang, blamed Havoc for it. "I thought I told you to hold your fire"

"That wasn't me, _Sir_" Havoc shouted back, just as irritably. "I don't know who-" he was cut off by a crescendo of gunfire which drew the attention of the chimeras away from the team, refocusing it instead of some new invader behind them. Then they began to fall as heavier fire filled the tunnel. Everyone but Al was quick to drop to the ground and clear the line of fire. Al just stood, letting the bullets that had missed their first target richotte off his armor to fly back to the chimeras. Not that the extra bullets were needed, in the end. In a few seconds, the hallway was clear of any standing chimeras. They lay strewn around the tunnel, howling their ways towards death. The carnage was followed by the materialization of several recognizable figures from the other end of the tunnel, and a voice called out "Glad you had us along, huh?"

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**I'm happy that I actually made my updates somewhat regular! Onwards!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N. This chapter is a lot shorter, but oh well. Another one will be posted soon enough.**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine. Just borrowing for a while. I promise I'll put it back.**

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"Well, are you coming or not?"

Ed smiled at Breda's blatant disregard for proper protocol, and dashed through the remains to the open air. Mustang and Havoc pursued at a more sedate, and blasé, rate, pausing to ruffle Fuery's hair. Al waited for Hawkeye to get to her feet and help Maes to stand. Staggering from exhaustion and Mae's weight, she stumbled into a chimera who was not entirely disabled. Reflexively it attacked her, and she screamed in pain as its claws slashed her chest, blood blossoming immediately from the deep gash.

Al gasped, when he glanced back to find the Lieutenant missing. He desperately searched around him and found Maes lying on a pile of bodies. Hawkeye was beneath, bleeding voraciously, and unconscious again. Fuery who, surprisingly, had stayed back, rushed to help Al, and managed to heave Maes to the surface. As carefully as possible, Al lifted Hawkeye up and carried her gently to the surface, trying to avoid jolting her to reduce the pain as best he could, for he was worried about the trail of blood she was leaving down the tunnel.

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Fuery passed Hughes over to Falman and Breda, who helped him sit against the alleyway wall rather than fall over. Hayate darted through the legs of military people to reach the underground entrance. He whined, then started barking frantically. Ed, Mustang, Havoc, and Fuery turned to see what was upsetting the dog; the others too busy tending Hughes' mangled arm to pay attention. Ed's face lit with relief as his brother emerged unscathed (which was easier for Al than those with normal bodies) and all limbs apparent. Then they saw whom he had in his arms.

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Mustang's vision waivered. Hawkeye was absolutely dripping blood, it was running down Al's armor and pooling at his feet. Disbelievingly, he hissed through his clenched teeth, as Al placed Hawkeye down next to Hughes. _Damnit. _Mustang thought, _not Hawkeye. The lieutenant. Not Riza._ _God… he would…he… _clenching his teeth, Mustang whirled away from the sight of Hawkeye, so pale and blood drenched. A faint growling and dimly glowing eyes caught his attention and in fury he violently flung his finger towards the tunnel, sparking an instant inferno underground. Bolt after bolt followed until Mustang had calmed down enough to face her...his team again.

Ed was watching him, trying to hide his impressed expression behind a scowl. Al was cowering against the back wall, and Fuery was slowly edging away. Havoc's eyes were closed, and he was paying little attention to his superior. He was holding his ribs as Falman tried to brace them with their limited medical supplies. Maes was unconscious again, bloods seeping through his makeshift bandages. Then the body next to Maes' shifted and Mustang's eyes shot to Hawkeye as she regained consciousness. The Lieutenant tried to sit up, and bit back a scream. Mustang stepped over to her and held her under her arm, lowering her gently back to the ground. "Hold on. Don't stand up. You're losing too much blood." Hawkeye tilted her head back to look at him with blurry eyes that slowly filtered back to their original, warm, amber color. She was alert, but slightly hazy from the pain. Still kneeling next to his Lieutenant, Mustang called Fuery over, who blanched when Mustang pulled off Hawkeye's uniform jacket, reveling the shredded shirt and skin underneath.

"We need to stanch the bleeding" Mustang muttered almost incoherently from the effort of hiding his anguish at the Lt.'s ugly wound. "Come on Hawkeye, can you sit up a little straighter?" he asked, grasping her under the arms and pulling her up. She gasped, but didn't say a word. Gently as he could Mustang wrapped the bandages he'd acquired from Fuery around first her chest, then, after tearing it and tying it off, he wrapped the remainder around her head. She sighed in relief as the pressure of the bandages stemmed the blood flow and dulled the pain minutely, slumping against the dirty wall. Fuery moved back to check on Havoc and, thinking that Hawkeye was out again, Mustang reached for her cold, callused hand.

Footsteps approached them, and Mustang dropped her hand as if it was contaminated. He stood and turned, issuing orders even before he was fully on his feet. "We need to get an ambulance for these three and Ed probably needs medical attention too. I'm going to find a phone."

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Falman nodded, then his eyes widened and he tried to step around Mustang. "Lieutenant, please. Don't move. We're trying to find you help."

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Mustang strode to the entrance of the alleyway, leaving Falman to battle with the irate Hawkeye. He needed to find the nearest phone, and call an old friend from Ishbal, someone who could treat his subordinates with complaints, but no questions. Another set of uneven footsteps could be heard following him and he turned to glare at Hawkeye limping after him.

"What on _earth_ do you think you are doing? You're in _no_ condition to be trailing after me." He was confronted in turn with Hawkeye's much more ferocious glare, and she icily retorted, " I don't negotiated with _fools, _Sir." Before stalking out of the alley. Ed, Al, Fuery, Falman, Breda, Havoc, and Hughes stared at each other, then simultaneously turned expectantly to the Colonel. After a moment of indecision, he chased Hawkeye, trying to catch up with her before she collapsed from exhaustion she was denying.

The newly conscious Hughes chuckled. "He's always chasing after her. Maybe he'll finally catch up this time."

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**Author's Note: So, it didn't really seem accurate to have Mustang leave with out his best friend and his lieutenant, but whatever. This is fictional and it kinda just worked out his way. Mustang had already pulled her out of the way enough times, and Al was the only character who really cares for people enough to wait for them. Not to mention the fighting styles/wounds aren't particularly accurate or believable/consistent, but oh well. I did the best I could.**** I am also having issues with realistic wounds and endurance levels. I don't think its too believable but hey- there's monsters and alchemy. Not particularly believable either.**

**We're down to the last update. Ack! Thanks for staying with me, people.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N. Wow. This chapter is even shorter than the other one. But its the end! Yay- one story idea down, one more (for now) to go. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer. Well, at least this is the last time I have to write this- No.**

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Mustang eventually caught up Hawkeye a block later. He seized her arm and hauled her around to face him, immediately regretting his actions as she winced and grabbed her ribs. "This isn't just about me." He hissed, trying to contain his anger. "You're vital to the plan as well, and I have the responsibility of guarding you as well. We entrusted our backs to each other. And in my responsibility to prevent your death, I have to stop you from killing _yourself_ not just others from targeting you." She glowered up at the Flame Alchemist, but declined to answer, choosing instead to wheel back around and turn into a nearby street. Reaching the nearest phone booth, Hawkeye yanked open the door, cringing as it pulled her wound, and paused after entering to grasp the phone set tightly and steady her rapidly spinning head. Mustang entered the booth as she inhaled deeply, comforted by the scent of fire and smoke behind her, and raised the phone to her ear with one hand, the other, the one that had been supporting her for dear life just moment ago, calmly twirling the dial.

_Damnit_ Mustang thought. _What is wrong with her? _ Fed up with everything that had happened today, he took her shoulder and spun her around. "Hawkeye, what is going _on_?" Hawkeye stared fiercely up at him, all of _her_ frustrations crystallizing into one terrifying expression, and slammed the phone down so hard into its cradle that it bounced and fell, dangling above the ground by its cord, haphazardly spinning.

"What's _wrong_ Sir, is what just happened back there." The small emotional breach could not be restored, and all of Hawkeye's restrained emotions came pouring out as she vented her anger at her superior." You went in there with _no _weapons,_ no_ support, and without_ me_! How do you expect me to watch your back if you don't let me? We can't do this if your dead, Sir." Then more quietly, she added, " I thought you trusted me, but now you're running off on rescue missions without even telling me, or trusting my expertise. You can't become Fuhrer if you can't bring yourself to talk to the people you say you trust. We're not just your subordinates." She continued. "We're in this too. The team _cannot _risk you running off on some dumb mission." Then, so quietly Mustang had to strain to hear it, " _I _can't risk you like that, Sir." Roy stood silently, Hawkeye's words tumbling around his head as she finished dialing. Her conversation faded to the background as one of her words registered in his mind. _She_ couldn't risk him.

Slowly, Roy smirked to Lt. Hawkeye's back.

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**A.N. Yay! Thats it, all done. Now please tell me what you thought. I wanted to write a story about the two of them that wasn't really fluffy, and retained their original, very stubborn and strong characters. Please tell me how I did and REVIEW! (yes, that lovely little button every author loves so desperately). My next project is actually for Bleach, so if you enjoy that manga, please come check it out. Once its written (and posted) of course. Kinda need to get started on that...hmmm...Don't expect anything too soon. Thanks to everyone who read Even more thanks to those wonderful readers Lou Nebin, mew fong, Ivy Short, AerinM, The Eye of the Hawk (how coincidental!), Kagome51, Leo, Acrylic Disaster, StormWingAlchemist, Dory-Tox, and NSA88, who reviewed!**


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